Motorcycle Review: 2014 Honda CTX1300

It may be styled like a cruiser, but the 2014 Honda CTX1300 doesn't suffer from a case of "form over function."

PHOTO: Handout, Honda

The Honda CTX1300 features a wide "beach" handlebar, which makes handling a breeze at low speed.

PHOTO: Handout, Honda

While the CTX1300 has 35 fewer HP than Honda's ST1300 sport tourer, the engine on the CTX1300 has so much low-end torque that you'd never know the difference.

PHOTO: Handout, Honda

The Honda CTX1300 is comfortable to ride on long trips to the beach thanks to its broad and flat seat.

PHOTO: Handout, Honda

2014 Honda CTX1300

PHOTO: Handout, Honda

A low-cut windscreen means there's not much wind protection.

PHOTO: Handout, Honda

2014 Honda CTX1300

PHOTO: Handout, Honda

2014 Honda CTX1300

PHOTO: Handout, Honda

2014 Honda CTX1300

PHOTO: Handout, Honda

2014 Honda CTX1300

PHOTO: Handout, Honda

Don't let its cruiser styling fool you: This is one very competent and functional bike

By David Booth

Originally published: March 31, 2014

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POTRERO, Calif. — The battle between form and function — the two-wheeled version at least — has always been fought on the basis that riding a motorcycle is a participation sport, and therefore performance has had to be more important than looks and comfort more than colour. Motorcycles that were reliable (Honda and BMW), fast (Kawasaki) and lithe (Ducati) always garnered more respect than the merely stylish. Tourers and sports bikes got their props: cruisers not so much. Being cool, as Steve McQueen might have said, was more important than looking cool.

The reason that function triumphed so handily over form for previous generations of bikers was simple a matter of necessity. Not so very long ago, motorcycles could be oh so very bad. One had to make one’s choice based, out of necessity, on its abilities. Succinctly put, one didn’t have the luxury of opting for form if one wanted any kind of function. If you wanted to travel in comfort, you really did have to buy a BMW instead of a Harley. If you wanted handling you had to opt for a Ducati instead of a Honda. And if you wanted to go fast, you instinctively headed to a Kawasaki dealer.

The difference today, the reason why so many seemingly have the luxury of choosing form over function is the result of one simple reality: virtually every modern motorcycle offered for sale, most certainly those on the high end of the market, more than fulfills most motorcyclists’ tangible needs. They perform far beyond the abilities of most, are more reliable than a Swiss watch and are comfortable enough, if they are not a racer replica, for cross-country touring. Indeed, what seems lost on motorcycling’s snobs is that even the lowly custom is more than good enough to fulfill the “function” portion of the majority of bikers’ needs.

The Honda CTX1300 is comfortable to ride on long trips to the beach thanks to its broad and flat seat.Handout, Honda

There’s no better example of this than Honda’s new CTX1300. To purists, it is the bastardization of Honda’s perfectly sensible ST1300 sport tourer, one of motorycling’s transcendent powertrains stuffed into one of those low-riders. The truth is, though, that the CTX is a very good motorcycle, so good, in fact, that after testing one in the hills high above San Diego, I’m actually eager to get back home and compare it in a head-to-head test with the aforementioned ST1300.

Here’s why.

First, there’s the engine. If you did nothing more than read spec sheets, you would think the CTX’s version of Honda’s 1,261-cc, 90-degree V4 was emasculated. Its estimated 83 horsepower is some 35 ponies down from the ST, mainly due to lower compression pistons, smaller valves and some decidedly low-bump camshafts.

Ride the CTX1300, however, and it feels anything but lethargic. Oh, the top end rush is somewhat diminished, but the changes have resulted in a gush of low-end torque, the V4 able to easily pull 2,000 rpm in top gear. The CTX’s rendition of the big V4 is the very definition of rheostat-like power; there are no peaks and valleys to the 1300’s powerband, only a constant rush of power no matter what rpm the engine is spinning. There’s even a little more bark to its exhaust note. Indeed, at least a few of the assembled autojournalists opined that the ST1300 would be better off having the CTX’s version of its engine.

The Honda CTX1300 features a wide “beach” handlebar, which makes handling a breeze at low speed.Handout, Honda

The same can be said of the CTX’s handling. Oh, the naysayers will decry its overwide 200-millimetre rear tire as a cruiser affectation too far, poo-pooh its reliance on traditional twin shocks rather than a modern single shocker and make light of its ginormous “beach” handlebar. But the truth is that it all works. The CTX’s steering is perfectly neutral, the suspension is more than well damped and its brakes as powerful as anything in sport touring. And the icing on the cake is that, thanks to its low centre of gravity and that wide handlebar, it’s a doddle to manouevre at low speed, much easier than, say, a Gold Wing or even an ST.

And, in perhaps its biggest surprise, the CTX is much more than just a passable touring mount, its comfort — with one fixable exception — virtually a match for the ST. For one thing, despite its cruiser styling, the CTX’s seating position is traditional; no feet-forward V-Rod back ache here. And the seat is broad, almost completely flat and perfectly suitable for eating up miles on the superslap. It really does offer tourer-like comfort.

Almost. The glaring exception is wind protection. The standard windscreen is a Road Glide-like cut down affair, which is good for minimizing turbulence but offers minimal wind protection. There is an optional windscreen but it is simply not large enough for the average rider and just ends up rattling your helmet’s windshield. Expect a larger screen from the aftermarket.

Other issues may be Honda’s optional top case. We didn’t have one to test, but it appears too small (the standard saddlebags can carry up to 35 litres of cargo) to serve the practicality part of the equation I have been preaching. And if the traditionalists really want to pick nits, the standard audio system could use a few more watts so it can be heard above 80 kilometres an hour.

Despite these limitations, however, the $18,999 CTX1300 is an amazingly competent motorcycle, one that pays little price for its cruiser styling. You’ll buy it for its form; you’ll love it for its function.

While the CTX1300 has 35 fewer HP than Honda’s ST1300 sport tourer, the engine on the CTX1300 has so much low-end torque that you’d never know the difference.Handout, Honda